‘Clean’ hydrogen? – Comparing the emissions and costs of fossil fuel versus renewable electricity based hydrogen

2022 ◽  
Vol 306 ◽  
pp. 118145
Author(s):  
Thomas Longden ◽  
Fiona J. Beck ◽  
Frank Jotzo ◽  
Richard Andrews ◽  
Mousami Prasad
Author(s):  
Miao Wang ◽  
M. A. Khan ◽  
Imtinan Mohsin ◽  
Joshua Wicks ◽  
Alexander H. Ip ◽  
...  

As renewable electricity prices continue to diminish, interest grows in alternative routes for the synthesis of sustainable fuels and chemicals, including ammonia. Considering demand for fertilizers, as well as for...


Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6438) ◽  
pp. eaav3506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil De Luna ◽  
Christopher Hahn ◽  
Drew Higgins ◽  
Shaffiq A. Jaffer ◽  
Thomas F. Jaramillo ◽  
...  

Electrocatalytic transformation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into chemical feedstocks offers the potential to reduce carbon emissions by shifting the chemical industry away from fossil fuel dependence. We provide a technoeconomic and carbon emission analysis of possible products, offering targets that would need to be met for economically compelling industrial implementation to be achieved. We also provide a comparison of the projected costs and CO2 emissions across electrocatalytic, biocatalytic, and fossil fuel–derived production of chemical feedstocks. We find that for electrosynthesis to become competitive with fossil fuel–derived feedstocks, electrical-to-chemical conversion efficiencies need to reach at least 60%, and renewable electricity prices need to fall below 4 cents per kilowatt-hour. We discuss the possibility of combining electro- and biocatalytic processes, using sequential upgrading of CO2 as a representative case. We describe the technical challenges and economic barriers to marketable electrosynthesized chemicals.Science, this issue p. eaav3506


Author(s):  
Paolo Iora ◽  
Ahmed F. Ghoniem ◽  
Gian Paolo Beretta

Hybrid power production facilities, based on the integration of renewable resources into conventional fossil-fuel-fired power plants have gained a growing interest during the past decades due to a world-wide continuous increase of shares of the renewable sources into the electricity generation market. In fact, in spite of the variable nature of most of the renewable sources, the hybrid configuration may provide a more economic, sustainable, and reliable use of the renewables in all load-demand conditions compared to renewable single-resource facilities. Nonetheless, the question of what fraction of the electricity produced in such facilities is to be considered as generated from renewables, still remains not fully addressed. This implies that there is space for some arbitrariness in the quantification of the share of the produced electricity to be qualified for the subsidies granted to renewable electricity, as normally prescribed by most of the policies that promote the applications of renewable primary energy resources. To overcome this problem, in this work we first define the classical Single-Resource Separate-Production Reference allocation method (SRSPR) usually considered by the regulators which is based on reference partial primary energy factors that must be chosen by some authority as representative of the performance of the (best available or representative average single-resource) power production technologies that use the same renewable resource and the same fossil fuel as the hybrid facility. Then we propose a Self-Tuned Average-Local-Productions Reference allocation method (STLAPR) whereby the electricity allocation fractions are based on the energy scenario of the local area of interest that includes the hybrid plant itself. We compare the two methods for a case study consisting on the renewable-to-fossil allocation of the power produced in an Solar-Integrated Combined-Cycle System (SICCS) with parabolic trough solar field. It turns out that the differences between the classical SRSPR and the STLAPR method become significant as the hybrid facilities take on a sizable fraction of the production of electricity in the local area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel den Elzen ◽  
Ioannis Dafnomilis ◽  
Nicklas Forsell ◽  
Panagiotis Fragkos ◽  
Kostas Fragkiadakis ◽  
...  

Abstract By September 2021, 120 countries had submitted new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC in the context of the Paris Agreement. This study analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and macroeconomic impacts of the new NDCs. The total impact of the updated NDCs of these countries on global emission levels by 2030 is an additional reduction of about 3.7 GtCO2e, compared to the previously submitted NDCs. This increases to about 4.1 GtCO2e, if also the lower projected emissions of the other countries are included. However, this total reduction needs to be four times greater to be consistent with keeping global temperature increase to well below 2 °C, and even eight times greater for 1.5 °C. Seven G20 economies have pledged stronger emission reduction targets for 2030 in their updated NDCs, leading to additional aggregated GHG emission reductions of about 3.1 GtCO2e, compared to those in the previous NDCs. The socio-economic impacts of the updated NDCs are limited in major economies, while structural shifts occur away from fossil fuel supply sectors and towards renewable electricity. However, two G20 economies have submitted new targets that will lead to an increase in emissions of about 0.3 GtCO2e, compared to their previous NDCs. The updated NDCs of non-G20 economies contain further net reductions. We conclude that countries should strongly increase the ambition levels of their updated NDC submissions to keep the climate goals of the Paris Agreement within reach.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLANRELE IYABO

Abstract Nigeria commits to fast track the integration of renewables in electricity generation by enacting a 2015 National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP). Thus, this policy briefing assesses the effect of the policy, and other socioeconomic factors, on the deployment of renewable electricity generation. The preliminary findings show that renewable energy policy has little effect in facilitating renewable electricity integration in Nigeria due to lack of political will and its adverse effect evident in the non-implementation of incentives like feed-in-tariffs and a zero import duty waiver. Second, increased fossil fuel consumption impedes the deployment of renewable electricity due to the hydrocarbon endowment and its subsidization. The domestic financial market development in Nigeria does not also support the deployment of renewable electricity that requires long-term finance. It requires a political will to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for a sustainable electricity generation deployment. It is also pertinent to consider the total removal of fossil fuel subsidies for renewable electricity integration.


Energy Policy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 151-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Clancy ◽  
F. Gaffney ◽  
J.P. Deane ◽  
J. Curtis ◽  
B.P. Ó Gallachóir

Nature ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 379 (6567) ◽  
pp. 671-671
Keyword(s):  

Nature ◽  
2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Clarke
Keyword(s):  

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